


February's Open Sea

by zahhisio



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, 碧蓝航线 | Azur Lane (Video Game)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, Self-Doubt, Shipgirls, Swordfighting, motivation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22159864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zahhisio/pseuds/zahhisio
Summary: Down in the dumps and full of self-doubt, Takumi finds inspiration and motivation from an unexpected source: a destroyer ship.
Kudos: 4





	1. Perchance

The New Year’s Festival of Askr was a great success last year, with attendees numbering in hundreds of Heroes compounded with hundreds of Askrians as well. It is for this sole reason that Anna resolved to hold yet another festival as the new year’s dawn greeted Askr with its warm sunlight reflecting off the white snow and dew hanging off the trees surrounding the shrine, as well as the festival area.

Unique to this year, Askrians and Heroes alike welcomed new guests from a land far away: the women and girls the Summoner of the Order of Heroes, Leorus, introduced as ‘shipgirls’. They, too, blend into the crowd seamlessly, some with their beautiful kimonos and all of them with their alluring looks; only the assortment of animal ears or horns adorning their hair gave them away, even in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the morning of the festival.

None of them caught Takumi’s attention. The Hoshidan prince marched through the crowd, ignoring bumps and crashes along the way. His thoughts were too clouded with the incident that morning: the Summoner denied him the opportunity to represent the Order of Heroes in a friendly match against the festival’s visitor, Azur Lane.

It would have been fine if it were any other swordsman. But the one the Summoner had chosen was Ryoma, and Takumi’s irritation doubled. His fears crippled him again -twisted him into thinking that once again, he was nothing compared to his brother. Furious, he stormed out and away from the Summoner, ignoring his calls.

He cared not to where his feet would lead him. All that mattered was to get away as far as possible; that is, until a familiar figure stopped him in his tracks. It was Oboro, crouching and hugging her knees, her eyes wandering to a certain tree right in front of her.

"Oboro, what are you doing?" Takumi asked, his eyebrows raised curiously. Upon hearing her name being called, Oboro turned towards Takumi, still rooted to her spot.

“Oh, if it isn’t Lord Takumi!”

She sounded relieved to see him – the first in the New Year’s morning to feel that way. Takumi closed in towards Oboro, who had gestured towards him to come.

“I might need your assistance in this one,” she said, pointing towards the tree she was looking at.

Under the shadow casted by the tree, he noticed a small child-like figure, her lavender eyes noticeable enough through the shade. Their eyes met, and the figure immediately retreated into the dark while squealing.

"Come out here, little girl. I won't hurt you,” Oboro turned towards the girl and put on the best smile she could muster.

Little by little and to her delight, the girl dragged her feet across the short grass, and finally the two Hoshidans were able to fully see her under the morning sunlight. The girl was easily half their height; even shorter than Sakura, they reckoned. Two kitsune-like ears that stick out of her cherry pink hair and the white-and-pink elaborate kimono that she wore made her stood out against the tree she was hiding behind. Her eyes were large and round, their violet pupils interlocking with Takumi’s once again. As soon as they exchanged stares, the girl ran back into the shade, her body trembling and her tail pointing down.

Oboro lost a little bit of her patience and raised her voice’s pitch. "Hey, why are you running away from me?!"

In reply, the girl slowly but surely raised her hand and pointed it at Takumi. Her voice was soft and low in volume.

"That man… is scary…"

Oboro covered her mouth almost instantly, trying her best not to laugh, while Takumi was left aghast by the girl’s fear of him.

"You heard her, Lord Takumi.”

Oboro was wheezing as she spoke, a result of holding back her guffaw.

"What do you mean, I'm scary?!"

Takumi fumed and stomped the stone pavement, scaring the girl even more. "Eek!" She yelped, now fully hiding from him and Oboro, who gave him a fretful glare.

"Fine, fine, “I'll go away for now," he said defeatedly, taking a few steps away from Oboro.

As if on cue, the girl walked towards Oboro as soon as Takumi turned away, and Oboro welcomed her with open arms. "Alright, that's a good girl,” the tailor’s smile returned to her face as she patted the girl on her head. “What's your name?"

While still meek, the girl finally had enough courage to answer Oboro. "Ki… Kisaragi…," she said, her eyes cast downward, still unwilling to look at Oboro in the eye.

"That's a beautiful name! Why were you out here all alone?"

"I got… separated from Mutsuki and the others… And a scary lady with a scary face wanted to catch me… so I hid down here…"

Coincidentally, Oboro and Kisaragi’s attention was caught by a loud shout coming from the center of the rows of the festival stalls.

"Ark Royal! You're under arrest!" A fierce voice commanded. 

Not long after that, a woman’s cry of despair echoed across Askr for a moment before silence, and then the usual noises of the happy crowd befell the festival site again. Oboro let out an awkward laugh and distracted Kisaragi from the chaos happening behind them with a small wave.

"Never mind them. Probably just some ruffians."

All the while, Takumi stood aside, intrigued by Oboro’s behavior. She was already popular for being the mother hen of most people in the Hoshidan army, but to see her take care of an actual child was a first for him.

Still, the fact that Kisaragi preferred Oboro over him was still irritating, however understandable it was.

"Miss..."

"Yes?"

"That man over there won't eat me, right?"

Pointed at by Kisaragi yet again, Takumi felt another pang of annoyance in his heart. "I don't like to have little girls as my lunch, don't worry," he grumbled.

"Don't worry, Kisaragi!” Oboro smiled and gestured extravagantly towards Takumi, who stood dumbfounded. “He's Lord Takumi, my liege and the best archer in Hoshido!"

"You're exaggerating.” Takumi sighed and shook his head. “I still have a lot to do before I can become the best."

_And I won’t ever be, either._

Kisaragi looked at Takumi for a while. She was still quivering at Takumi’s sight, but it was less severe than before. "And what's your name, miss?" She asked, turning towards Oboro.

"I'm Oboro,” she proudly declared, thumping her chest. “It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Say, Lord Takumi, are you free right now?"

"Pretty much,” he answered as he cracked his neck with sharp turns of his head.

Oboro’s eyes lit up with vigor. She quickly clasped Takumi’s palms between her, taking care not to accidentally hurt him. "Excellent!” shouted her. “Let's spend time with little Kisaragi here!"

"Me? Babysitting?” Takumi looked at the young girl. She still seemed to be apprehensive, but he somehow felt that she was alright with Oboro’s decision. Still undecided, Takumi shook his head. “You're kidding."

"Come on!"

Oboro tried her best attempt at giving the puppy’s eyes look. Takumi was unconvinced still. Instead, he was more moved by the actual puppy’s eyes - or were they more like a kitten’s? - coming from Kisaragi.

"Fine, fine!” Takumi wriggled his hands out of Oboro’s grasp, trying his best to sound forced. “I happen to have some time to kill."

“Yes!” Oboro pumped her fists in joy, then turned towards the silent Kisaragi. "You heard her, kid. Shall we go?"

"Yes..."

And off went the makeshift trio, off to the festival with their spirits up high – except for Takumi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it goes!
> 
> To be frank, this entire fic comes from me noticing that Takumi's son, Kiragi, is supposed to be named Kisaragi (but somehow the localization team cut the name short? I wonder why...). From there, the idea snowballs into AL!Kisaragi replacing FE!Kisaragi for a day. And as I studied the history of IJN Kisaragi, I began to notice some of her life's aspects that sounded similar to Takumi - that is, living in the shadow of their older siblings.
> 
> I hope that this fic turns out well! And thank you for coming to read this - do tell me what you think!


	2. Perception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The despondent prince and the meek destroyer share their feelings over an intense swordfighting bout.

Even with Oboro and Kisaragi having fun as the three of them hopped from stall to stall, enjoying games and food and whatnot, Takumi was still clouded with terrible thoughts. Each banner of the upcoming event, an elaborately-designed one with a text that surely would capture everyone’s hearts and raise their spirits:

**CAN’T ESCAPE FROM CROSSING FATE**

**BATTLE OF THE AGES! RYOMA - ORDER OF HEROES VS TAKAO - AZUR LANE**

How long did the Summoner plan to have Ryoma appear in his place? Surely he did not just produce the banners that very morning, right? 

Was he… never an option from the start?

With every passing moment, Takumi’s self-assurance dropped, so low that he was resolute enough to decline the Summoner’s offer to go in place of his brother if he were to come running at him.

But he did not. He would not. Nay, he would never.

As long as there was someone marginally better than him, Takumi of Hoshido would never be a choice, let alone a consideration.

Before he realized it, the warm morning sunlight was gone, replaced by the afternoon rays that stung even his downcast eyes. He partially snapped out of his wallowing, noticing that the two who were with him were tired, their mouths full of food and their hands full of prizes. He followed them a little bit further until Oboro noticed an empty bench which she quickly occupied with the heaps of presents she had won for Kisaragi. The little girl, dwarfed by the tower of presents, sat contentedly next to it, munching on a taiyaki Oboro had bought her. 

WIth a gesture of her hand, Oboro told Takumi to sit down. That he did, and as soon as he sat Oboro pointed her finger at him and Kisaragi. “Stay here, you two,” she said as she was being stared at by the two. “I’m going to buy you snacks. Look forward to it!” Leaving her liege and the kid alone, Oboro disappeared into the crowd, her figure quickly swallowed by the waves of festival-goers.

“Umm…”

The soft humming from his side reminded him that Kisaragi, who was sitting quietly next to him, was still there. She, too, was enthralled by the fight, but with it finished she stared back at Takumi, who returned a confused look at her.

“Mister,” the little girl finally spoke up, “do you hate being with me?”

“Oh? No, not at all," Takumi answered, rubbing his tired eyes and trying to remove his frown "I’m just quite inexperienced with kids, is all…"

He half-lied. He is inexperienced with kids, but his silence, too, was because he did not want to burden a little child with his troubles.

"Why are you out here alone, anyway?" Takumi asked back, trying to distract Kisaragi. "Didn’t you come together with the rest of the ‘shipgirls’?”

“I… I got separated from the girls in my division… Also, I thought I could be as friendly and independent as Mutsuki, so I tried to stay tough, but right now…”

Before he could question her further, a cascade of trumpet notes stole his and Kisaragi's attentions. They snapped towards the sound's source: a ringed section of the courtyard.

* * *

The crowd gathering outside the ring’s perimeter, shoddily but clearly marked by wooden fence, was enormous. The chatter happening around them was loud enough to deafen anyone going near them. Yet somehow, the two figures standing smack dab in the middle of the ring managed to steal everyone’s looks and attention.

"Welcome to our very first New Year's bout between the Order of Heroes and Azur Lane!” The red-haired woman spoke first. The magnificent red coat she was wearing hid a gold-and-white kimono that was no less charming. Despite its length, and even with the ankle-length skirt tucked behind another layer, it did not tear from the woman’s lively movement. “I'm your host for today, Anna…"

"And Akashi, meow!" The green-haired girl followed up. The cat-like pupils in her yellow eyes dart around, seemingly excited by all the attention she was earning. The bells neatly tied around her cat ears jingled and bobbed with her every movement, and her black obi, patterned after a cat’s paws, stood out from her crimson red dress.

"For today,” Anna continued speaking, “we will start our day with one of the most anticipated match!"

"On the left, we have one of the best swordswoman in the Sakura Empire, Takao, meow!"

In a pristine white uniform, with a skirt dangerously close to being too revealing, stood a woman in a ponytail. Her eyes were sharp; her movements, calculated; her sword, which she kept sheathed, dangerous. Like a diamond in the mud, Takao stole everyone’s eyes.

She bowed deeply, and the crowd’s roar that followed put a grin on Anna’s face. Amazed by their reaction to the shipgirl, she gestured towards the other end of the ring. "And on our right is the venerable samurai, the prince of the Kingdom of Hoshido, Ryoma!"

In contrast to his enemy, Ryoma wore his usual armor. The red, accented by gold and white lines, emanated a dangerous aura around his very figure. His sword was already drawn, pointed at the ground and awaiting its master’s command. He seemed to be so focused on the ensuing battle that even when the crowd’s reactions were too lukewarm compared to Takao’s turn, he did not give it any thought.

It would be reserved for the enemy in front of him.

Noticing Ryoma’s glare, Takao quickly bowed at him. "Please, do not hold back on my account,” she said, readying her right hand by her sword’s grip.

"Worry not.” Ryoma rotated his shoulders before pointing his sword at Takao. “I shall give it my all."

The tension was high and thick. The fighters were steeling themselves. The crowd went silent.

"Three, two, one…"

"Weigh anchor, meow!"

Steel against steel. 

Crowd against the excitement. 

With the first clash between Takao and Ryoma signaling the skirmish's start, Anna and Akashi disappeared, reappearing in a stall nearby. A huge sign that said **BETS** was placed on top of it.

"Hehehe, place your bets, everyone!" Anna fought back her urge to drool at the sight of the coins that went into her hand as she exchanged them with betting tickets, neatly color-coded and stamped with the insignia of the Sakura Empire or the Kingdom of Hoshido. Meanwhile, Akashi purred and played around with stack of coins and betting tickets that were already forming a mountain at one corner of the stall.

"Commeownder Anna really thinks up of the best schemes, meow~" She uttered dreamily, ignoring Anna’s pleas for assistance against the ever-increasing number of interested gamblers.

* * *

Takumi's eyes were fixated on Ryoma's form throughout the match. It was the epitome of a samurai's form: balanced on two legs, readily parrying any and all attacks and deliver a swift counterattack instead. His enemy was no slouch, either; she favored a more acrobatic approach to her attacks, some of them almost overwhelming Ryoma with their unorthodox angles and speed. 

The fight lasted long enough for the initially exuberant crowd to have their energy sapped, unconvinced by the ridiculously balanced fight. In the end, it ended in a draw, but the results did not matter - the crowd were entertained all the same, clapping at the display of skills from the two fighters. 

As much as he wanted to deny it, he still has a long way to go before he could surpass his brother. Little by little, he began to understand the Summoner's words earlier that morning.

“Is that man someone you know, Mister?” Kisaragi asked, tugging on his scarf softly.

“That’s right," answered Takumi. He slung the loose end of the scarf he wore over his shoulder again, shortening it. "He’s my brother. And also someone I want to surpass… but I guess," he casted his gaze aside sorrowfully, "that is all but a pipe dream."

“Then we're… we're similar!" Kisaragi exclaimed, almost biting her tongue. "I also want to get stronger… so that I can stay with Mutsuki…"

"Oh? Why is it so?"

"I… I sank the fastest out of all my sisters...”

“Sank?!” Takumi almost choked on air, unable to believe what he heard. “Then what are you doing here?!”

“Eep!”

“Okay, sorry for chiming in." Takumi put up his hands, a few drops of sweat rolling down his face as he tried to make sure that he did not accidentally scare the girl.

“Then, then I’ll continue…”

The story that followed moved Takumi in more ways than one.

As if possessed by a spirit, the little girl sitting in front of him told her story with a dignified and serious way. She told all about the first time she was ‘laid down’ and ‘launched’; how the scary ‘airplanes’ caught her as she was running away from the ‘Wake Islands’; how terrifying it was being hunted. 

‘Now that I’m here,” Kisaragi finished her story with a few sobs impeding her delivery, “ I can… fight together with everyone again. I… want to improve and do my best!”

Takumi never grasped the meaning behind the word ‘sunk’, repeated by her countless times even though she was there next to him.

It was, however, enough to snap him out of his anger.

The girl, as little as she was, had faced a past far worse compared to him. Yet she kept on striving towards her goal: to be as strong, or even stronger than, her siblings, so much that she risked being alone.

Shame washed over him as he reminded himself of the morning's incident.

“So you, too, have your own reasons,” Takumi’s tone turned sober. “That’s admirable, coming from a small girl like you.”

Unconsciously, he reached out towards Kisaragi’s pink hair and gave her a pat on the head. Whether it was out of amazement or gratitude, he was not certain himself.

“Heehee! You’re pretty nice, Mister.”

“Oh, please…,” he rolled his eyes and scratched his cheek awkwardly as he tried to hide the blush spreading through his cheeks. “Maybe it’s the festivity getting to me.”

As if on cue, Oboro announced her return with a yell. “I’m back! I must say, you two look closer than when I left you,” she commented as she neatly put the bags of takoyaki and okonomiyaki by her liege’s side.

“It’s probably your imagination, Oboro,” Takumi said sheepishly. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as he realized something important. “By the way, can we make a trip to the shrine?”

Oboro crossed her arms and stared at Takumi confusedly. “Haven’t you done your *hatsumode*, Lord Takumi?”

Takumi turned towards her with a wide smile on his face. "I was about to. I've found what to wish for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can shipgirls fight Heroes on equal ground? That's a topic that I might want to explore someday.
> 
> Of course, the shipgirls won't be allowed to use their rigging, or else it'd be an easy win for them.... Also, as this fic proceeds I'm pretty sure that if no one knows who comes from where, they'd think that everyone is from the same region (Hoshido/Sakura)! Hah!


	3. Perseverance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the festival draws to an end, the prince sees to the destroyer's departure with his spirit renewed.

The shrine was a staircase away from the festival, but it was still full, filled with people who were hoping to turn their luck around. After passing through the red gate, the trio quickly headed towards the shrine, afraid that they would run out of spots to make their prayers. Thankfully, there were still some left amidst the influx of shrine-goers; after making sure that none were lost in the crowd, the three lined up by the shrine, clapped their hands a few times, and solemnly prayed.

*I hope I can find it in me to surpass my fears this year. And also… I hope this little girl next to me can achieve her goals.*

Satisfied with his prayer, Takumi finally smiled for the first time in the year. The others, too, smiled - even without voicing it out, they knew that everyone prayed for the best in the new year.

A few steps outside of the red gate that greeted them, a child-like voice called out to Kisaragi. Takumi and Oboro turned around to see a fleet of little girls marching towards them, some of them dressed in a kimono similar to Kisaragi’s. They were a colorful bunch - each of them with a different color scheme, hair, or even little details like accessories. The leader of the group, a girl with black hair and ears similar to Kisaragi, noticed and pointed at her whilst yelling at the top of her lungs.

“Kisaragi! There you are!”

“Mutsuki!” Kisaragi shouted out and ran towards the black-haired girl in the fleet. The two hugged together merrily, followed up by the hugs from the other children. Quickly overwhelmed, Kisaragi sobbed again, reminding Mutsuki to clear a way out of the dome-shaped congregation for her.

After making sure that everyone was safe, she finally turned towards Takumi and Oboro. Suddenly, she hissed; her tail stood up fiercely and she bared her fangs in a poor attempt to intimidate the two adults, at least until Kisaragi stood between her and the Hoshidans and explained everything.

Now understanding the situation, the girls whispered among themselves – Takumi and Oboro were unable to decipher their talks – until one of them, the one Kisaragi called Mutsuki, ran up to the prince to offer him a few pieces of candy.

He saw no reason to refuse and took them into his hands. They were colorful and eye-catching – as bright as the Mutsuki’s smile after she successfully handed her candies over to him. She ran back with the smile still etched on her face, which soon spread throughout her cohorts, making them smile at Takumi as well.

Slowly but surely, his mood improved with every beam of the girls’ smile. Soon, though, they had to leave, Mutsuki signaled the other girls towards the stairs, offering to lead them in their descent. With the others agreeing, though with a few groans of disappointment here and there, they queued down the flight of stairs, earning a few looks from the bemused shrine visitors.

As the fleet of girls disappeared one by one, Kisaragi took one last moment to turn towards Takumi.

“Thank you for today, Mister and Miss!” She yelled and waver her hand, a few drops of tear starting to well up in her eyes. Oboro returned the gesture with another vigorous handwave, while Takumi only put up his hand for a second.

He did not forget to smile, though.

As soon as Kisaragi was out of sight, Oboro placed her chin on her hand and glared at Takumi from the corner of her eye. “Oh? Do your best, huh? Something did happen between you two…”

“It’s just a pep talk, Oboro,” Takumi dismissed her suspicions with a shrug. “It’s nothing worth fussing over.”

Ignoring the stare of disbelief coming from his attendant, Takumi stepped down the stairs leading back to the festival, his mind now fully cleared and his festival spirit renewed.

* * *

_A few days later…_

"Takumi! You've got a letter."

"From who?"

It was early morning, but Takumi’s early training session had already been disrupted by Leorus, who brought with him a sealed letter. The Summoner let it drift lazily onto the bench Takumi was sitting on.

He grabbed and took a good look at it. The envelope was white and clean, and on its other end was a wax seal with a stylized anchor and a bold writing of ‘Azur Lane’ on it.

"One of the girls from Azur Lane sent you,” Leorus explained as he took a seat next to Takumi. His eyebrows twitched suggestively, and he eyed Takumi teasingly. “You didn't happen to woo any of them during the new year's festival, yes?"

"Ridiculous.” Takumi let out a sigh of annoyance. “Then again, I might have an idea about the sender of this letter…"

The top of the paper contained inside wrote “From: Kisaragi”.

"Oboro, look!” Takumi shouted at Oboro, who immediately stopped her spear practice at the courtyard. “Kisaragi sent us a postcard!" He continued, waving the letter’s contents in front of her. Oboro stampeded towards Takumi, her excitement uncontainable. "Did she?! Let me have a look, Lord Takumi!"

While they were swallowed in excitement, Leorus gulped in disbelief. He shook his head once, trying to dismiss it all as a mistake in hearing, but the letter was true. "Takumi?! Kisaragi?! You're telling me you made a kindergartener fall in lo-"

"Quiet, you!"

In a bout of irritation, Oboro chucked Leorus away from the bench. The Summoner rolled on the hard floor, yelping in pain. With the obstacle out of the way, Takumi took the chance to properly read the letter, with Oboro hanging right above his shoulder.

*Thank you for playing with me!*

Under the written text were a child’s attempt at drawing the trio together, each of them quite distinguishable even when they were mere stick figures.

“Huh. *Watashi to asonde kurete arigatō…*” A voice suddenly entered his ear; Takumi pushed himself away from Leorus, who was inexplicably back at his side. He placed his chin on his hand and stared at him with a face full of worry. “And here I thought you were one step away from military jail, Takumi.”

”Just what was going on inside that mind of yours?!”

He realized that he was not as angry towards him as he was during the festival. The contempt was just not there, replaced with the usual friendly air he had always had with him.

“Or maybe you were playing house with her and Oboro?” Still with his smug grin, Leorus took another jab at the duo. “Preparing for the fated day, eh?”

Their faces went red. Before speaking a word to refute his claims, Oboro had already jumped in. “Looks like the throw just now wasn’t enough, eh?!”

With clenched fists and the expression of an angered *oni*, Oboro chased a mischievously giggling Leorus out of the courtyard and into the halls, leaving Takumi alone with the letter in his hand. He read it once again, then smiled towards the empty sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps it up!
> 
> I can't imagine that what started to be a crack-ish idea turned out to be a passionate work of mine (quality notwithstanding)... tell me what you think about it!
> 
> Oh, maybe when Kiragi comes to FEH I can make him meet Kisaragi! Maybe...


End file.
